My Changing Neighborhood(s): October 2015

Saturday, October 31, 2015

NEIGHBORHOOD HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS 2015

Apartment Window, 1000 block of Hyde

Audio Vision, 1628 California

El Super Burrito, 1200 Polk

Eyebrows Anonymous, 1472 California

Frame-O-Rama, 1920 Polk

Luscious Wear, 1410 Polk

Maneframe, 1435 Polk

Mayes and McTeague's, 1233 and 1237 Polk Street

New Village Cafe, 1426 Polk Street

Playland, 1351 Polk

Peoples Barber, 1259 Polk

Polk-Clay Liquors, 1700 Polk

Tenant's Room, St. Clare Hotel, 1334 Van Ness

Sunset Pearls, 1623 California Street

Terrasol, 1742 Polk

Town Hall Clothes Closet, 1850 Polk

Thursday, October 29, 2015

NEIGHBORHOOD MAKEOVERS – HOLIDAY INN, PINE AND VAN NESS

The facelilft at the Holiday Inn at Pine and Van Ness, begun in May

has been completed. The outside metal covering has been cleaned and polished

giving the outside of the motel a bright new look.

Monday, October 26, 2015

NEIGHBORHOOD CLOSINGS 2015 – FRONTLYNE VIDEO (#10 in a series)

Frontlyne Video, 1428 Bush Street

Long-time neighborhood business Frontlyne Video is closing its doors after 26 years of renting videos at locations in and around Polk Street.

The reasons for its closings are several: more people streaming movies, more movies going directly to cable, Netflix and Amazon refusing to rent new movies to video stores, and, of course, rising rents.

They had a good long run (longer than most) and will be missed many in the neighborhood.

The final day of business is October 31, 2015

Friday, October 23, 2015

NEIGHBORHOOD OPENINGS – NUTRISHOP (#15 in a series)

Nutrishop has opened at 1118 Polk Street.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

In yesterday's SFGate.com, there was an article about apartments at 1008 Larkin Street for less than $1,600 a month. Click here for the article: http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2015/10/20/rent-an-apartment-for-less-than-1600-a-month-in-s-f-get-ready-to-compromise

Before it was re-branded as 1008 Larkin, it was the Saratoga Hotel, established in 1908.

Many years ago, I visited someone living there when it was still the Saratoga, and I remember the rooms were quite small – perhaps 10 X 12 at best.

These remodeled SRO hotel rooms are now called “efficiency apartments” and “feature a combined living and sleeping space” (just like a hotel room). They also feature no bathroom. That's down the hall (just like a real SRO).

According to Loopnet.com, 1008 Larkin is a "multifamily property" with 53 "residential units" spread over 5 floors. That comes to at least 10 "units" per floor. That means ten people wanting to use one bathroom every morning, every evening, every day of the year.

And all this can be yours for only $1,595 a month!

Such a deal.